Automobiles and other vehicles, such as trucks, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, and other like vehicles, are completely prevalent in modern society and culture. Indeed, in the United States and in many places around the world, a vast number of individuals own at least one vehicle. In many cases, individuals own two or more.
Since the dawn of this “automobile age”, automobile safety has dominated discussions. Clearly, automobile safety ought to be a primary concern, for several reasons. First, automobiles tend to travel at increased velocities, and often weigh several thousand pounds. Thus, the potential for serious injury or even death is very real, especially during dangerous driving conditions.
In many cases, individuals may control various aspects of safe driving, such as maintaining proper control of an automobile, following proper safety procedures, following rules of the road, obeying traffic signals, and otherwise ensuring that the act of driving the automobile does not become dangerous. In many other cases, however, an individual may be driving an automobile following all proper safety precautions, rules, traffic signals, but the act of driving the automobile may still be hazardous. For example, during natural disaster events, such as extreme weather (hurricanes, tornadoes, ice, snow and the like), earthquakes, flooding, such as flash flooding or tsunamis, or other like natural disasters, it may be very difficult to be safe. In many cases, staying inside an automobile during a natural disaster event can lead to increased risk of injury or even death.
Therefore, it may be imperative for a passenger of a vehicle to leave the vehicle as quickly as possible. For example, during a tornado or hurricane, an automobile may be very unsafe, as the devastating winds of a tornado or hurricane may physically pick up the automobile from the roadside, sending it crashing down in another location. Thus, common safety practice is to exit an automobile during such an event.
Remaining within an automobile during a flood event may be devastating, as passengers are typically not within sealed compartments. Thus, water from a flood may easily enter the internal space of an automobile, trapping the individuals therein and removing breathable air. In many cases, a flood event can be caused simply by a person accidentally running off the road into a body of water. Water would quickly enter the internal compartment, and an individual would not have much time in which to exit the vehicle.
Often, however, an automobile trapped in a flood or within a body of water causes an increase in pressure around the internal compartment, even as the internal compartment fills with water. In many situations, it is often difficult for a passenger to open a window or a door of a closed automobile due to external water pressure pressing against the internal passenger compartment. A need exists, therefore, for an automobile safety kit that aids an individual in escaping an automobile. Specifically, a need exists for an automobile safety kit that allows a passenger to open doors and/or windows during a natural disaster, such as a flood or the like.
Moreover, an individual may have very little time to make decisions on how best to proceed. While seatbelts are an important safety feature in modern automobiles, oftentimes, they can trap an individual within the automobile. A seatbelt may be difficult to reach, may become damaged or entangled, and/or may simply be too difficult to operate during an emergency. A need exists for an automobile safety kit comprising a seatbelt cutter that allows a user to cut the seatbelt to aid the user in escaping an automobile during an emergency.
Once a passenger is released from a seatbelt during an emergency, such as a flood, it is often safer for a user to be tethered to an anchor so that the user is not swept away by the flood currents. For example, during a flash flood or a tsunami, water may move very swiftly. And while the water may not have the power to force the movement of an automobile, it may quickly sweep a passenger away if the passenger is not sufficiently tethered. Thus, a need exists for an automobile safety kit that allows an individual to tether himself or herself, or another passenger, to an anchor, such as to the automobile itself. Specifically, a need exists for an automobile safety kit that allows an individual to remain anchored to the automobile so that he or she is not swept away by fast moving currents.
In some cases, a passenger's best location to remain is atop the automobile; especially during a flood event where the waters are swiftly moving, but do not entirely cover the car. If a person can remain with the automobile, especially atop the automobile, there is a better chance the person can be seen by rescuers, and less of a possibility the person may be swept away by fast moving water currents. Moreover, there may be debris in the swift-moving water, and a person may be injured if he or she falls into the water or tries to swim through the water. However, automobiles often do not have sufficient handles or hand-holds on top of a car, and it is often difficult for a person to hold onto to the top of a car, especially during an emergency. A need, therefore, exists for an automobile safety kit that allows a user to easily remain atop an automobile during a flood event. More specifically, a need exists for an automobile safety kit that provides a user with magnetic clamps with handles so that a user may magnetically clamp him or herself to the top of the vehicle, such that the user may have sufficient grip.
In addition, oftentimes, especially during natural disasters, it may be difficult for rescuers to see submerged vehicles, especially if the event happens at night. A need, therefore, exists for an automobile safety kit having a visual or audible indicator to aid others in rescuing passengers.